Winter's Bluster

Everyone awaits the arrival of the first snowfall of winter, whether in dread or excitement. Weather forecasters were touting a winter storm so most schools and even some offices closed in anticipation. Early morning unfolded itself with bright gray skies and negligible precipitation. Was this storm going to be another bust?

Our first snowfall arrived mid-morning starting with scattered flakes no bigger than dust motes. Eventually these grew to a significant enough size to form a passing white-out over time. We watched from the safety and warmth of the local Starbucks. When the bluster passed, I stepped outside to snap this picture. Nothing much to show for all the ruckus this storm caused. Then the storm shifted. The temperatures kept the snow on the ground while the snow flurries turned to rain. Everything got coated with a layer of crunchy, slippery ice. Ah.... this was what we'd been waiting for.

As I watched the storm front roll through, I thought how like us winter's bluster was. We put out signals to our friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances. Each person reads those signals differently. Some will see the approaching mood, our version of a storm, as dangerous and immediate. Others will recognize that it might bring some danger, but mostly it will blow over. Still others will call it a slippery, sliding place and steer carefully and clearly around it. The bluster that comes during the storm front of our moods occasionally shakes us and those around us into a new form of actions. Yet those who know us best, who have spent time with our moods, will weather them all in the best possible way.

Not all moods are negative, just as not all storms are bad. Whatever mood shows up ~ from excitement to playfulness to sullenness to anger ~ is part of the bluster that makes each of us human. We feel and we express those feelings in our moods. It's healthy, as much part of our nature as a wintry snowstorm is part of the Earth's nature. As with those wintry flashes, damages sometimes occur. We need to work together to repair those damages between people as diligently as we work to repair damages caused by ice and snow.

How do your storms show up? Can you predict their direction? What do you do when they reveal themselves? How do you assist in repairing the damage when damage arrives? Who can you count on to help you? What moods have shown up most recently in your life?

First Snow

We had our first snow of the year today. In my particular neighborhood, not much to it. Yet the streets are ice-covered skating rinks for driving. And the freezing rain continues to fall atop the dusting of white fluff. All-in-all, a great day to stay snuggled indoors, sipping hot chai, writing and watching the cat curl deeper into the comforter in his sleep.

We made it out to our morning coffee spot. Another 'regular' and growing-into-friend was there as well. His wife died Christmas morning and he has promised us who gather there that he will come for coffee every morning. We could not let him sit alone. So we went, sat in comfortable silence for awhile, chatted about the effect of the snow on cars, tires, bicycles, then parted ~ he, on to the remainder of his day; we, on to our crossword puzzling. Amazed and blessed that we could each and all show up safely.

When I returned home, I took my camera out, deciding to take a picture or two of the first snow fall. Crystal pellets of frozen rain tapped my head and hands as I focused my eyes and the camera's lens. The helleborus whose first blossom had popped through right before New Year's Day was covered with the wintry mix. I wanted to clear the snow out and leave the plant open, but did not do so, realizing the snow is a protective layer now ~ keeping the icy pellets away from the earth and roots. Will the delicate bloom survive this onslaught? The answer will com with the thaw tomorrow or the day after that. Since it's happened in the past, I remain hopeful.

As I stepped into the side yard, I was greeted by the faint, elegant tracks of a bird searching for seed or rest or shelter as it hopped around on the ground. Nothing else had disturbed the prints and I breathed my gratitude that, at least for the moment, the neighborhood ferals ~ cats, skunks, raccoons, dogs, coyotes ~ had not gotten it.

I am amazed by the beauty of the world coated lightly in white. Hope and joy accompany this first snow, though I have no explanation as to why that might be so. Yet there they run, across the backs of my hands and tapping out an electric rhythm on my ribcage. Everything glows with possibility and signs of life are radiantly visible.

How do you feel with the first snow? Or the first rain? What do you notice as it falls? when it ends? What signs of life show themselves to you? How do you see it? What feelings arise in you? How do they express themselves in your body?